i've got a tough decision.

[shaded light]

okay, i was accepted to my 2nd choice college, and hadn't heard back from my first choice. So i put down my deposit and went through with everything for my 2nd choice school (a huge process). well, i just got accepted to my 1st choice school. My first choice school is almost 3x the tuition, doesnt have a lacrosse team (my favorite sport, which i can play at my second choice), but does have the number one marine biology program in the US (my major). cost is huge for me, growing up with divorced middle class parents, so i'm not getting too much help there, and i dont want to be in debt for the rest of my life. What i think i will do, is go 1-2 years at my second choice, and then finish off my college time at my first choice. This way, i can get the education i want, and not be in a huge amount of debt.
what do you guys think?

 

[fish are good]

what colledges are the? and have you filed for financial aid? also i want to major in Marine Biology the school i am looking at is called Barry University in south florida. it is amazing

 

[shaded light]

yeah. University of Rhode Island (first), and Eastern CT State (second). I have done all my financial aid, but i am still not sure how much i am recieving. i looked into some schools in Florida, and the Carolinas, but i doubt i could live out of New England. I mean, i love vacations in the south, but everything is always far away, and its too hot
the titanic discoverer, Ballard, got his degree at URI.

 

[lovethesea]

go to your 2nd choice. You won't be so much in debt. Follow the money also. Plus you can play a sport you enjoy. In the end you will have a degree you want, and anymore I don't think going into major amounts of debt for it will payoff.
Maybe Ophiura will see this.

 

[tangman99]

You know, I'm going to throw out something that is my opinion only, but many people I know share it with me when I've mentioned it. Except for a few majors, colleges are hype as to which one you have to go to for the best jobs and careers. I went to Engineering School at UF which was ranked 11th in the country with CIT and MIT 1st and 2nd at the time. I didn't go there because of that though. I went because it was close to where I lived and it was in state so tuition was much less.
Now the basis of my opinion? When I got out of college, my first job asked for my transcripts, where I graduated, my GPA, ect. I've worked for countless companies as an employee and a contractor for the past 15 years and since my first job, do you know how many times I've been asked where I went to college and for my transcipt? Zero! No one has ever mentioned it or cared since and it has never affected my salary at all. All they cared about was that I have a piece of paper that says I have BS in Engineering and what experience I've had in the workplace.
I'm not saying this is the case for every profession and if you are one of those that feel that you need a prestigious school on your resume and to belong to some national society, then be my guest. I've worked with Harvard, MIT and Princeton grads and they didn't make any more than I did. To be honest, most of them were a pain to work with as they thought God pointed the sun straight up their butts every morning when they woke up but some were pretty cool. Of course there was the one that caused me to get sent to the principals office (HR). Every time he opened his mouth in a meeting the first words were "At Harvard, blah blah blah." I told him in front of God and everybody the next time I heard how they did it a Harvard I was going to shove an umbrella up his butt (I used the A word) and open it. Everyone in the room thought it was funny. Evidently he didn't. HR laughed it off, made him think he accomplished something and he ended up leaving about 3 weeks later because everyone lost all respect for him.
Back to my point. IMHO, once you get that piece of paper that says you have a BS or BA or Masters or whatever, when you get past your first job it pretty much goes by what your experience is and what you know and yes quite often who you know.
If you feel both schools will give you a quality education, I'd go with the second one and move on but that's just me.

 

[lovethesea]

My hubby worked with a Harvard PIA. No one could stand him. He came in every morning with a full attitude. The wiser/educated/experienced employees wore his sorry arse out. He did not understand why his "education" did not garner him 90K ++ after his first year and he refused to be on call and put in overtime. The 25 year old snob left for a "better" job/fit. Flash forward about 16 months he was FIRED!!!!

I think some of the ivy league/big reputation schools need to require a course in real world work environments. Education is a wonderful thing, but so is hard work, dedication, self improvement, putting in the time etc.

 

[al mc]

I went to an 'IVY'...University of pennsylvania Veterinary School. I agree with
'Love' and 'Tang' to a point. I came out of school with tremendous debt compared to my collegues from other vet schools. The 'IVY' education may have impressed my first boss but after that it is all about recommendations and the quality of your work.
Now, do not get me wrong....some professions (law and business management...MBAs) do have a 'leg up' with some of the bigger law firms/investment firms for your first job that could be very important) so as 'Tang' suggested it does not apply to all professions IMHO.
Personally...Your plan is a sound one and I wish you luck

 

[bionicarm]

Top ranked colleges are just door openers when you're looking for your first job. As others have stated, it depends on the profession. Law firms would probably take someone from Harvard over someone at St. Mary's Law School if thier GPA's and other course work were identical.
My daughter graduates from high school next year, and she's already told us she wants to go to the local community college her first two years to get all her core classes out of the way. She's already spoken with friends who are going to UT Austin where she wants to end up, and they've all said they regretted not doing what she's planning to do. The core classes in the Top 10 colleges tend to be 'weed out' courses. The professors have this corn cob up their rears with this attitude that you have to earn your right to be in their prestigious university. They load you up with extra work, and love to be what I term 'GPA Busters'. My daughter will get her first two years out of the way with easier courses, and will still have a confirmed admission to UT Austin when she starts her Junior year. In the end when she graduates, her diploma will say UT Austin regardless if she went there two years or four.

 

[culp]

i would go with the second one.

 

[jimmy 4]

I would just make sure that the classes that you take will transfer over to the other school. Some people will go to community/technical colleges to take care of the basics and finish their degree at a university. Try to study abroad if you can. You could go to australia for a semester and have some fun on the GBR seeing that you are going to be a marine biologist.

 

[geridoc]

Most of the posters above are essentially right - in most professions your undergraduate degree institution matters only for your first job. After that, it is all about what you have accomplished, not where you have studied. However, you are not proposing to go into "most professions". In the sciences your educational pedigree matters. A top undergraduate institution will pave the way for your admission to a top graduate program, which makes the connections to the most lucrative first positions, etc. If your second choice institution has the laboratory resources (including boats, diving, etc), a world class research faculty, and undergraduates have an opportunity to become involved in research early in their education, then it could be an OK choice. That said, I know that URI is a world class marine biology program, and I haven't heard of Easter CT State, but from what I can see on their web site their only graduate programs are in education. That means no big-time research, no graduate student mentors and part-time research, if at all. They may be cheaper, but cheaper is not always the best buy.

 

[nina&noah]

a piece of advice that I would give anyone looking for a college is to think of
1. class size
2. "college experience"
I went to the "U" of Miami. None of my classes had more than 30 people in them. The classes in my major usually had only 5-15 people in them. This is important, because you build a relationship with your professors and therefore learn more from them. I also think that the coursework is more meaningful when a professor is preparing for specific people instead of a mob of 100-200 people.
Alot of people discount the college experience, but I'm sorry, I think it is one of the most important things that a person can go through. I went to "the U" while our sports program was on probation (late 90's), so I'm not talking about going to a school with the best sports teams. I'm talking about going somewhere you can meet different people and experience different things. I would highly discourage my son from attending a community college or a "cheap school," simply because I feel that he will be missing out on too much.
This is why we are prepaying for our son's college now. It is our gift to him for his 2nd birthday!

Good Luck! Follow what your heart tells you, not what is most convenient.

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by lovethesea
http:///forum/post/3038021

My hubby worked with a Harvard PIA. No one could stand him. He came in every morning with a full attitude. The wiser/educated/experienced employees wore his sorry arse out. He did not understand why his "education" did not garner him 90K ++ after his first year and he refused to be on call and put in overtime. The 25 year old snob left for a "better" job/fit. Flash forward about 16 months he was FIRED!!!!

I think some of the ivy league/big reputation schools need to require a course in real world work environments. Education is a wonderful thing, but so is hard work, dedication, self improvement, putting in the time etc.
I completely agree.
Looking from a practical viewpoint. I think Marine Biology or some sort of science in general is going to be completely different than any other type of degree whether it be marketing, business or something else.
There is a couple things you have to consider. One you aren't going to be making tons of money out of school. So paying off student loans can be debilitating.
Second, you need to ask yourself if the difference between school x and y is going to matter. It might. As far as who you meet. What kind of opportunities to help other people's research. Ect.